The Fallout
by themadgirlinthebluebox
Summary: Fallout: A secondary and often lingering effect, result, or set of consequences. Spending a Saturday at school isn't exactly ideal. Spending it fighting off zombies during what could very well be the end of the world? Less ideal. But spending it with rival and all around know it all Barrett McIntyre? Well, Alexa Fisher would rather walk out into the fog and face the freaks.
1. Chapter 1

AN: After watching season 2 of Freakish I realized people always assume the worst about Barrett and he seems pretty alone. Also, there aren't enough Freakish fics and I already want season 3! So I decided to give this fic a try, Alexa is a person of color and is half black half white. Spoilers for season 1 and maybe season 2. Leave a review if you'd want to read more! I have an outline already.

Thanks!

* * *

Saturdays had always been her favorite day of the week. They were full of endless possibilities and the promise of relaxation. But for Alexa, reading over an absentminded sophomore's essay was anything but relaxing. The only thing her Saturday was full of was proofreading essays, correcting math problems and explaining chemistry. But as the student, she was tutoring struggled with basic grammar she reminded herself how good this would look on her college applications.

"Okay so, you changed from past tense to present tense here. You have to stay consistent so you don't get points marked off." She explained circling the paper. "Just pick one and stick with it."

He shrugged. "For the whole paper or just the introduction?"

Alexa pressed her lips into a thin line. "The whole thing Jack."

"Right so you're going to help me finish it? I haven't read the book yet." Jack held up his copy of _The Catcher in the Rye_. "It's due Monday."

Dropping her pen on the table she stood up. "Why don't we take a break?"

Her mentee pulled out his phone and she took the chance to slip out of the library. Alexa stretched her legs walking down the empty hall, when she rounded the corner to head to the bathroom she paused.

"What brings you here on this fine Saturday afternoon?" She smirked, keeping her tone light. "Hacking your way to a higher GPA than mine?"

He chuckled, standing up from the water fountain. "I don't have to hack my way into anything, I'm going to be valedictorian either way."

"I didn't think the great Barrett McIntyre cared about that sort of thing."

"I don't but I earned it so I may as well be proud." He explained nonchalantly. "And to answer your question I'm in the computer lab."

She nodded. "Ripping off more of your friends?"

His smile fell. "Not that it's any of your business but that matter was settled. You should get back to tutoring, wouldn't want that GPA to fall."

"You know damn well I'm doing the tutoring not the other way around." She snapped, folding her arms. "Just because I didn't develop an app doesn't mean I'm not smart."

Barrett shook his head, slightly amused. "Fair enough. See you Monday."

She turned back down the hallway towards the library but paused when Barrett called after her.

"Oh, Alexa? If you need any help with the quiz in computer science on Monday let me know." He gave a smug grin and wave. "I'd be happy to help."

A warm and embarrassed flush worked across her face. "I'll pass."

* * *

The rest of the day ticked by slowly and included a compressed version of _The Catcher in the Rye_ that Alexa was sure that Jake only half listened to. She was now waiting for her next student to finish taking a practice test. She let her mind wander, tuning out the scratching of pencil on paper. She had a few assignments to work on but nothing that couldn't be put off until tomorrow. And as much as it annoyed her to be stressed over it she did have to study for her computer science quiz.

"It's only a semester elective, it's not like it matters that much." She thought, trying to convince herself it wasn't worth stressing over. "But it wouldn't hurt to have Barrett explain a couple of things."

Quickly, she dismissed the thought. She and Barrett had a complicated friendship if you could even call it that. For as long as she could remember they had been overachievers and often bumped heads. Even in elementary school over who could count higher to high school when they fought for their class ranking. Barrett was smug and knew how to get under her skin and Alexa knew what buttons to push. There was a mutual respect and it wasn't that they weren't civil, but school was more important.

She sighed, brainstorming a way to get help for the quiz that didn't involve asking for his help. Maybe she could ask one of his friends, who weren't as smart as he was but certainly not idiots. Anything but asking for Barrett's help was the goal, she knew better than not to ask for favors from him. She was torn from her thoughts when a siren screeched outside.

"Code nine. Containment breach imminent, aerial contamination danger. Remain indoors, close all windows, seek shelter."

There was a rush of students pushing out of the library and Alexa could feel her heart racing as she followed them. The crowd grew as they filed down the stairs into the shelter. Up ahead she could see Barrett trying and failing to ask out Zoe Parker. Normally, this would be enough to at least make her smirk but she couldn't even muster a smile as she anxiously walked into the shelter.

There was a nervous energy as she overheard her classmates reporting what they'd heard from their families. She inhaled deeply and wiped her hands on her jeans.

"Do you want to sit?"

Barrett was sitting on a bunk, looking surprisingly calm as he offered her a seat. She sat next to him biting her lip, Keller Chemical melting down had been a quiet but consistent worry she had for years.

"My dad said it was a huge fire," LaSean reported from across the room.

Before anyone could say anything the whole room shuddered violently and her stomach lurched.

"T-This isn't happening." She muttered.

Distantly she could hear Coach trying to reassure everyone and more news of what was happening. But Alexa gripped the edge of the bed trying to keep her breathing even and keep the panic from rising in her chest. It was only when the boy next to her spoke did she look up.

"You're that kid that sold that app for a million dollars but didn't share it with the guy you made it with." Noodle scoffed, pointing to Barrett. "Asshole."

"That matter was settled and it wasn't a million dollars."

"Oh, so it was less than a million dollars?" LaSean asked mockingly. "Okay, that's cool."

He shot back quickly, coolly. "I didn't say it was less."

Alexa snickered and shook her head. "Such an asshole."

Before he could defend himself the room swayed again, knocking the lights out for a moment. Alexa let out a small gasp and shut her eyes as she began to feel sick. When it stopped students began making a break for it. She wanted to go with them but was frozen in fear as the building shuddered harder this time. A hand rested on her shoulder and she turned to see him staring.

"Are you okay?"

"Not really."

He stood from the bunk and helped her to her feet. "Let's go upstairs."

When they emerged from the basement Alexa was surprised to see that everything looked pretty much the same. But that was when she saw the smoke pouring from Keller Chemical and out of the lower valley.

"The whole place is gone."

"That doesn't make any sense." Violet stared out the window furrowing her brows.

Another loud explosion rang out and a bright light flashed, stunning them momentarily. Panicked gasps came out of her mouth as she felt her body be thrown back by a second explosion. Numbly, she pulled out her phone trying to dial home but she was greeted by a busy signal each try.

"N-nothing's working."

"Whatever happened must have knocked out the system." He explained to the group.

As the situation began to sink in students made a run for the doors, leaving despite the warnings of Coach and Natalie. She had to get home, out of the valley, anywhere other than here. It had to be better than sitting here waiting for the fire to spread. She took a deep breath, summoning her strength to leave when she felt herself be pulled back.

"Where are you going?" Barrett demanded. "You can't go out there."

"But we can't stay here either." She cried, her voice was strained. "I have to go home."

"My dad works at the plant and he says when in doubt don't go out," Mary told her trying to sound reassuring.

Barrett nodded. "See, just stay here. Be smart about this Alexa."

"I have to make sure my brothers are okay." Zoe insisted, struggling with LaSean. "You know my mom can't handle this."

"Look outside, you live near the plant. They're not okay."

"Don't say that!"

Barrett rolled his eyes. "He doesn't know what he's talking about."

"You did not just say that with me standing right here," LaSean said stepping up to him. "I know what I'm talking about."

"Barrett stop." Alexa hissed, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He pointed to the smoke outside. "He has no idea what's there. The twins might be okay but there's a good chance they won't be if you go out in that."

Zoe looked from him to the door and frowned.

"I'm sure they're fine," Alexa spoke up, smiling a bit. "They could be at my house with my sister, She likes to play with them. I live a little further from the plant."

The blonde smiled back faintly. "Yeah, maybe you're right."

She and Zoe weren't exactly close but their siblings were playmates so they saw enough of each other to be friendly.

From where they stood in the lobby a thick cloud of smoke rolled towards the school, obscuring everything in its path.

"Everyone get away from the doors. Come on let's move!"

Without a second thought, she took off, her feet pounding against the linoleum. She turned the corner skidding as she did so and came to a stop with the others. Coach sent Diesel to the tech room and Barrett to the computer lab to try to get news.

"Come with me."

She followed him into the lab and watched as he logged onto a computer. As it loaded he turned, looking her over.

"Are you okay?"

She held up her phone. "N-No signal."

"That's not surprising. The explosion knocked out the system. Shit." He pushed the mouse away from him. "And the internet."

Alexa rubbed her hands over her arms. "What do you think happened?"

"A bomb maybe, an accident? I'm not too sure."

As if on cue they both looked out the window, the smoke had taken on a green tint. In the window's reflection, she could see that her normally light brown sick had a pale look to it. Like she was sick.

"This is one of your worst fears isn't it?"

"How'd you know?"

"Uh, fourth grade. We watched a safety video about what to do if the plant melted down." He said almost fondly. "You cried, saying it was frightening and your face had the same look it does right now and no color."

She cocked her head and almost laughed. "You remember that?"

"I thought it was smart to be worried about it." He looked out at the fog. "And I guess you were right."

She hadn't thought about that day in years, she had gone home and told her parents she wanted to move somewhere safer. If only if they had listened to her back then.

There was no signal anywhere in the building and nothing coming through on the radio. Coach had sent them to get some sleep so they could come up with a plan for the next few days. But Alexa was perched on a sofa in the teacher's lounge unable to sleep, her heart was still pounding in her chest. Even though it was late her mind raced.

"Mind if I sit?"

She shrugged and scooted over.

"Can't sleep?" He asked, looking at their peers who were scattered around the room. "Me either."

"I don't s-see how anyone can." She rasped out. "E-everything's gone."

Barrett sighed. "We don't know that for sure."

"No one's come for us, there aren't sirens or helicopters." Alexa blinked back hot tears. "Who knows how long we'll be able to last in here."

It caught her off guard when he rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. "It's going to be okay. We can definitely last a few days, maybe even a few weeks if we ration. And by then the fire should be out then they'll search for survivors."

She twisted the hem of her shirt anxiously. "I-I hope so."

"At least you're stuck with me and can have decent conversations." His tone was teasing. "I'd know I'd rather walk out into the smoke than stay trapped here without someone at least somewhat intelligent."

For the first time since the explosion, she laughed a little. "I'm more than somewhat intelligent."

"If you say so." He hummed.

They sat in silence for a while trying to process what happened in the past few hours. As much as she hated to admit it she didn't know what she'd do if Barrett weren't here. Sure, Violet was her cousin and she vaguely knew Zoe but none of them were exactly close.

"Do you think we're going to be okay?" She questioned, her voice hollow.

He hesitated for a moment. But rubbed her shoulder again. "There's a procedure for this kind of thing I'm sure it's going to be fine."

She wanted to believe him he sounded confident like he always did. His tone was convincing, rational. But it was hard to be optimistic when all she saw was a green haze where the valley used to be.

"I hope so."

* * *

AN: As you can see it's going to follow the show for the most part, maybe a flashback here and there. What do you think of Barrett and Alexa's love/hate relationship? Will they grow closer? Let me know if you enjoyed it and I'll update soon! Also, how do you spell LaSean, IMBD says the way I spelled it but I'm not sure.


	2. Chapter 2

Hi everyone! Thank you for the reviews and the follows/faves, I appreciate it. Sorry for the delay, I got a new job and was and still am looking for a beta reader. The good news is I've plotted out this story. I've decided Alexa needs to have some character growth so you're going to see her emotions come out a bit more. This chapter follows episode 2 and 3. I think each chapter is going to be two episodes, I feel like the actual show is so short. This will give the chapters a little more substance. Which would you prefer, shorter chapters that cover a single episode or a longer one that covers two? I will be taking some liberties though, it would be boring if you just read a novelization of the show. I hope you enjoy this and let me know what you think! Upon re-watching season 2, I noticed the actual spelling of LaShawn's name so I've changed it in chapter 1 and included it in this one.

 **Also, Tyler Chase aka Barrett said hi to me on his Instagram live the other day!**

* * *

Half a day. That's how long it had been since everything had changed. Of course in the grand scheme of things a few hours was nothing. But with a thick fog settled over the school Alexa's perception of time was totally warped. It felt the same way it did during the winter when the sun went down in the afternoon. When you'd think it was late into the night but it was barely dinner time. It always made Alexa feel slightly unsettled and out of control. But this was much worse. She was sat in the library where just hours ago she had been a normal high school student tutoring a classmate. But now, who knew if that classmate was still even alive?

"Addie come on, let's get you downstairs you need to rest." Natalie's voice drifted from the hallway. "It's going to be okay."

She sounded so sure of herself, it was as if Addie just had a bout of the flu or a cold and simply needed to sleep. From out the library doors, she could see Natalie leading her friend down the hall. She hardly recognized her. Her skin had become marred with what looked like purple bruises and her eyes were sunken in. There was a sheen of sweat covering her skin and her lips were cracked. It definitely wasn't normal.

If Addie looked like that after only a few hours she wondered what her family looked like. They hadn't been in a thick concrete building away from the plant when the blast hit. They had been just a few blocks away in a normal house. She might not even have a family to go home too. This wasn't the time to panic though, the best way to get through this was to stay level-headed. That's what drove her to gather her strength and make her way downstairs.

From where she stood in the doorway she could see Violet and the coach tending to Lyle. Natalie was helping Addie into a bed. She found herself drifting to Barrett who observed everything with a keen eye.

"Do you think it's from breathing in the air?"

"Probably, they were out there with no form of a mask for a long time." He pointed to Lyle's face. "You can see what it did to their skin."

Alexa shifted her weight onto one hip. "I guess I should thank you for stopping me from leaving."

"That was partially for selfish reasons." He quipped. "Like I said I need someone to talk to."

She couldn't tell if he was joking or not but was distracted when another student came stumbling into the shelter. The girl was gasping for air and had the same rash blossoming across her face.

"I should do something to help."

Alexa helped her into a bed and checked to feel if she had a fever. Across the room, Violet and Zoe were arguing about how to deal with the situation. Her cousin pointed out that the explosion was huge and the school may be the only secure place left. She tried to tune this out as she draped a blanket over the student. Like Lyle, she didn't have a fever just a severe rash and shallow breathing. She helped several other students into beds and tried to make them comfortable. Having a task to focus on helped Alexa from giving into her panic. In the background, the Jones siblings were arguing about taking care of each other.

"What you're all going to do is go upstairs and leave me in peace and quiet." Coach instructed. "Get some sleep and we'll make a plan for the next few days."

Alexa made her way out of the shelter and found a quiet corner of the teachers' lounge to set up in. Zoe and LaShawn were wrapped up in each other already asleep. It seemed impossible to her, how could anyone sleep while the world was ending right in front of them? Across from them, Natalie and Violet were joking around. Alexa would much rather be anxious in silence than make forced jokes. So, she popped her headphones in and tried not to think of all the destruction outside. When she felt a tap on her shoulder she jolted upright.

"Mind if I join you?" Barrett was standing in front of her. He was holding out blankets. "I come bearing gifts."

She scooted over instead of answering and he sat next to her. "How are you doing?"

"O-Okay I guess. I'm tired but I can't sleep. I think I'm in shock."

He nodded. "It's a lot to process."

All day he had been so calm and collected, It was almost unnerving.

"How are you not worried?" She questioned. "Everyone we know is probably dead and you act like nothing's happened."

"Worry is never productive." Barrett didn't offer any other explanation. "You should try to sleep. You didn't sleep earlier. It's been almost a day you really should."

Alexa took one of the blankets and draped it over herself. "Goodnight Barrett."

He gave a simple wave and she turned over. As she laid there resting her head on the arm of the couch she tried to rationalize what had happened. She ran through it like a checklist, ticking off each event.

"I woke up, came to school to tutor, there was an alarm and we went to the shelter." She thought to herself as she tried to fall asleep. "There was an explosion and now, now-"

That was when everything became fuzzy. She knew what happened of course, but she couldn't wrap her mind around it. People were dead, and the air was making everyone sick. Everyone who was at the school and didn't leave after the blast was trapped. She sighed, trying to make herself comfortable. But she knew it wasn't the couch it was her thoughts keeping her awake. She hoped maybe if she fell asleep she would wake up to find that this was one giant nightmare. Because there was no way this could possibly be happening.

Unfortunately, this was no nightmare her brain had cooked up. The first thing Alexa saw when she opened her eyes was linoleum floors. It took her a second to put the pieces together. But when she saw the green fog out the windows she remembered. She sat up quickly looking around, she nearly took out Barrett's eye in the process.

"Hey, hey, easy." His voice was hushed. "It's alright, you fell asleep."

She collapsed back into the cushions and groaned.

"I was hoping this was all some awful dream."

"Sorry to burst your bubble. Did you sleep okay? You were tossing and turning."

"For the most part, sorry if I kept you up."

Barrett shrugged. "You didn't. I'm surprised you even managed to get any sleep with the snoring."

They both looked to LaShawn his mouth was open. Alexa cracked a small smile before looking around the room. Everyone was gone except for the two of them and LaShawn.

"How long was I out for?" She asked looking around for a clock. "Where'd everyone go?"

"Almost three hours. I think Grover and Mary went to look for supplies and Natalie said something about trying to find a cell signal."

Alexa elbowed him, her voice was teasing. "No mention of Zoe?"

"I think she went to the bathroom." He grumbled, his face flushed a faint shade of red. "If you have to know."

She stretched and looked him over. His reaction made her raise an eyebrow. "Interesting. You're confirming my theory."

"And what theory is that?" He seemed amused.

Alexa poked her finger into his chest. "That you have emotions somewhere in that cold shell."

Barrett snorted and gave a short laugh. "What am I an experiment?"

"You're certainly an interesting subject to study." She stood up from the couch and rolled her shoulders. "Do you want to try the radio again?"

"It can't hurt." He pushed off from the couch and nodded to LaShawn. "Even his snoring is grating."

One of Alexa's pet peeves was when everything happened so easily to someone. Watching someone glide through life when everyone had to struggle irritated her to no end. So watching Barrett who was a 'golden boy', struggle with the radio should have been entertaining. On a normal day, it would have been. But this day was anything but normal. There was a very real chance this radio was their only link to the outside world so she didn't gloat.

"Radios like this can have battery issues. And it doesn't help that this one is using Cold War technology and has been collecting dust." He explained taking off the back panel. "Do you mind?"

He pulled out what looked to be a wallet and tossed it to her. Alexa cocked her head and held it up.

"Are you going to buy your way out of this? I know you made a million dollars from your app but I don't think money will help."

"Just open it and grab the penlight and the screwdriver." Barrett rolled his eyes. "And it's millions with an 's' thank you very much. It's on the zippered side."

It wasn't just a wallet, one of the folds had a small zippered compartment. She unzipped it and found a double ended small screwdriver and a penlight. "Seriously? Who carries around tools this small and brings them to school?"

"Shine it here, I'm hoping I can rig it to the electricity so we don't have to worry about the battery dying." He instructed, guiding the light so he could see the wires. "And if you paid attention in computer science class you'd know innovation is only good when it's machine can handle it. Technology connects us in virtual ways but at the end of the day, it's all machines. You have to be able to repair them."

It shouldn't have surprised her that he could manage to insult her and work at the same time but she was still annoyed.

"I pay attention thank you very much." She defended as she looked in the other side of the wallet with her free hand. "It's just weird to have mini tools in the same place as your driver's license, a coffee shop punch card and- oh."

In a back slot of his wallet, tucked between a library card and his school ID was a small foil packet. For the sake of the mental image she now had in her head, she hoped it was a wet wipe. But based on the pained look on Barrett's face she doubted it was to sanitize anything. With that, she dropped the wallet onto the desk and quickly tried to think of anything other than Barrett needing a condom.

"I take apart computer's for fun and as a job, hence the tools. And I don't always have them but I was here for the computer club." He huffed as he clipped a wire. "And as for anything else you saw, I was a Boy Scout so you know 'always prepared'."

I was a Boy Scout so you know 'always prepared'."

At this point going outside and getting poisoned by the fog seemed like a better fate than having this conversation. Alexa shook her head, disgusted by everything that just came out of his mouth.

"I think the combination of you taking apart computers for fun and being a Boy Scout prevents you from needing to be prepared for anything like that." She said and then mimicked his voice. "Hence the shock of you carrying around protection."

He scoffed. "I'll have you know it was the scouts or playing a sport. I distinctly remember you selling cookies not playing soccer when we were kids."

"Let's just forget this whole conversation."

"Agreed."

They fell into a silence after that. Barret was busy pulling out wires and connecting them to a small adaptor. He was focused intensely, only pointing to where he needed more light. Alexa couldn't help but get her hopes up. Maybe the radio would work and they would be able to contact the police or fire department and get out of here. While he worked, she struggled to srub the remaining mental images of him from her brain. She focused on the number of ceiling tiles to avoid looking at him. She wasn't sure which was more appalling, the idea of someone wanting to be with Barrett in that way or Barrett being intimate in general. Either way, she was so focused on the ceiling that she jumped when static came crackling from the machine.

"You fixed it." Hope rose in her chest. "We're one step closer."

Barrett fiddled with the dials. "Now all we have to do is find a frequency and hope someone hears us."

"You guys," Violet stuck her head in the doorway, concern rolled off of her in waves. "Get to the teacher's lounge."

Her cousin didn't say anything as they walked the short distance to the lounge. But she could see how stressed she was, she had the same look everyone else did. Zoe was visibly frightened as she clung to LaShawn.

"What's wrong? Did you hear something about the explosion?"

Mary shook her head. "Everyone in the shelter, they're, they're-"

"There's something wrong with them." Grover finished, carding a hand through his hair. "I don't know they're vampires, zombies, freaks? The coach is dead they were eating him."

"No, I'm pretty sure they were drinking him." Mary's voice was strained and higher than usual. "They're all freaks."

Freaks? Eating the coach? Alexa ran her hand across her face trying to comprehend what was just said. That sort of thing only happened in movies and even if it happened in real life it wouldn't happen here.

"They ate him? W-Why would they do that?"

"One of those things in the bookstore?" LaShawn turned to her. "It tried to take a bite out of me. It was Mr. H, but it wasn't, he wasn't human."

Zoe backed up his story and nodded tearfully. "It was awful."

Instantly, her stomach turned over. Not only were they trapped in the school with no way out, they were now trapped in here with cannibalistic mutants. She shut her eyes and braced herself against a chair. She could feel her knees buckle and everyone's voices were distorted.

"This can't be happening. This can't be happening." She repeated to herself as she tried to even out her breaths. "This isn't real. This stuff never happens in real life."

"Addie would never do anything like that."

"I think our definition of never has been completely changed."

Natalie started towards the door. "I need to see her, maybe we can do something."

"It's not safe. She's not Addie anymore." Grover explained, stopping her.

"But-"

"What part of man-eating freak did you not understand?" Alexa snapped, the anger in her voice surprised her. "We can't help them."

"She's right the only people we can help is ourselves." Mary agreed.

The way Natalie recoiled made her feel a bit guilty. But thinking she could help Addie was naive and would get them all killed. As much as she wanted to crumple in on herself and deny that any of this was happening she knew that she had to stay level-headed.

"Did you see Lyle down there?" Diesel asked.

"No one down there was okay."

Zoe was frantic. "We have to get out of here."

"We can't leave," Barrett said matter of factly.

"We can't just sit here. It's not safe."

"Yeah, we should find help." Noodle said, siding with LaShawn.

"If you want to leave so be it. I'd rather not be trapped here with fools."

There was a slight smirk on his face and Alexa rolled her eyes. This wasn't the time for him to be an asshole.

"Don't do it, dude."

"What did you just say?" LaShawn asked, raising his voice.

"I don't know a simpler way I can say fool." His eyes were narrowed as he stayed seated.

Alexa groaned and smacked his arm. "Don't be an asshole."

"Listen to your girlfriend." Noodle suggested.

"Im'a kill you," LaShawn said stepping towards him

Noodle's assumption that she was his girlfriend made her scoff with disgust. Not only was it untrue, it was laughable. If anyone could get them out this situation it was Barrett and he wouldn't be of any help if he was dead. So her protecting him wasn't completely selfless.

Barrett seemed to be amused by all of this. "That quickly you revert to the basest of human behavior."

"You need to come with a translator."

"He said your animals," Violet explained, she was just as fed up as Alexa was.

There was a brief silence as everyone looked at each other. The stress of what had happened had started to get to them. All of their emotions were heightened but they couldn't fall apart if they wanted to survive.

"So it has to be the air right?"

The green fog hadn't lifted, if anything it was thicker. "It's probably the chemicals that are making people turn into freaks."

"Alexa's right." Grover pointed to the window. "Our dad's told us for years that if anything happens we shouldn't breathe it in."

"Okay, so what do we do?" Zoe asked, wringing her hands.

"Why are you asking him?"

Barrett stood from the couch. "I say we treat it like radiation. So we'll seal up the windows and cracks and stay inside until help comes."

"What about the freaks? There could be more of them in here."

A small argument broke out about what was the best thing to do. LaShawn and Noodle seemed set on leaving the school to get help while Mary, Grover, and Violet thought it would be best to stay put. Zoe's voice was pitiful when she spoke up.

"Oh my god, we're all going to die."

This was the first time any of the survivors had mentioned the possibility of dying. It was sobering to hear and made everyone stop. Alexa had to grab onto the back of the couch to keep herself from being crushed by the weight of her words.

"Quite possibly, but if you listen to me you're odds of surviving are significantly better."

"So what do we do?" Diesel spoke up.

"Break off into pairs and search the building," Barrett instructed, ticking off each point on his fingers. "And make sure everything is secured and sealed."

"While you sit here and tell us what to do?"

He shot Noodle a sharp look and gave a smug reply. "I'm going to rig the radio and ask for help."

"Yeah, there's already static which is good." Alexa seconded. "We need to contact someone and let them know we're here."

Once everyone had split up Alexa and Barrett went back to trying to fix the radio. She didn't think Barrett needed her because he was done connecting wires but she was grateful to not be roaming the halls.

"What are we going to do?"

He glanced up at her. "Find a signal and send out a distress call."

She rolled her eyes. "No about the freaks that are eating people."

"Oh, that." He blinked a few times. "They're in the shelter, Grover said he barricaded the door and Diesel is making sure all the doors are locked and windows are secured. We're going to be okay. Panicking isn't going to help."

He gave her a small smile and she couldn't but think that he was saying all of this for her benefit. Her stomach twisted nervously as she checked over her shoulder just in case a freak was behind her. She chewed on her thumbnail as she watched him work.

"Yeah, b-but what if there are more in places we don't know about?" Her voice was strained and creeping up in pitch. "LaShawn said he and Zoe saw the janitor in the school store what if there are more lurking?"

Barrett looked up again and frowned, he pulled her hand away from her face. His hand went to her shoulder and he gave it a squeeze. This time his smile seemed less forced and he spoke softly.

"They said they killed him which means they have a weak spot. You can't let your fear cloud your judgment, all we can do is take precautions but we need to stay calm." He stood from his chair and gestured for her to sit. "Why don't you try to find a clear channel while I try to find a good position."

Alexa sat down and put on the headphones all she heard was static so she turned the knob, desperate to find some sign they could still contact someone. Barrett took a jumble of wires and the antenna and moved about the room. She gave him a thumbs down as the static grew louder and a thumbs up when it lessened. It was almost like they were playing an apocalyptic version of hot and cold. He had just taken a step towards the desk when the buzzing stopped but he stepped to the left and it increased.

"Hey stop!" She cried. "Step over this way."

Carefully he went back to where he was and it stopped again.

"Right there, it's clear."

He rigged the antenna and the wires and came around the desk. Alexa handed off the headphones and he slipped them on and turned the dials.

"Hold that still. Maybe put them on the lamp so we don't have to hold them."

As she twisted them around the lamp the door swung opened and Violet came in carrying a notepad.

"You're working on the radio? Any progress?"

"We have a signal. Now we just need to get someone to hear us."

"Hmm." She sounded impressed and tossed the notepad onto the desk. "Are you holding up okay?"

Alexa shrugged. "I guess so, you?"

Violet sighed and mimicked her shrug. "I'm just hoping Thomas got out of the valley before the explosion."

"You know he likes to speed." She joked thinking of her older cousin. "The first time he took us to the mall after getting his license my mom nearly had a heart attack."

This made both of them smile, their moms were sisters and they had grown up together. But they had drifted apart once they started high school, Violet was just as smart but they ran in different circles.

"Let's hope."

"What's this?" Barrett was reading over the list.

"Our medical inventory and that's all the shit Grover took."

"He doesn't seem like a doctor, did he have a reason?"

"He said he had a fever." She said dubiously. "I don't buy it."

"Or he wanted to be with you." He suggested.

She waved away the idea. "He seemed off his game though."

"Has he ever even had game?" Alexa snorted, it was no secret Grover had feelings for her cousin. It had been obvious since middle school. "We are talking about Grover Jones."

"You seem fairly on your game though. I mean for a-" He trailed off looking for words.

"A detention trainwreck?" She finished for him.

"Your words not mine. What were you in here for? Contraband? Vandalism?"

Violet leaned in close. "Murder. I kill computer nerds."

"Interesting." He raised his eyebrows. "More than one?"

"Just the curious ones." She offered as she stepped back and turned to Alexa. "Don't let him boss you around."

She shook her head. "Never."

Violet clapped her on the back. "Good luck with the radio."

Barrett picked up the transmitter. "Mayday, this is Kent High School. We are ten survivors. Mayday."

After a few more attempts Barrett took off the headphones, he rearranged the wires and adjusted the dials.

"Does it not work?"

"It works there's just no response, we may need to try another channel or boost the signal somehow." He explained. "The explosion may have also tampered with the system so we may just have to wait it out."

Alexa stood up and rested against the desk. "Well is there anything I can do?"

"I think waiting it out is the best thing for now. Keeping Violet from killing me would also be helpful."

"I'll try my best but you are a computer nerd." She joked.

"I prefer the term technological innovator." His tone was teasing.

Alexa shook her head at this. "Fine, I'll make sure she doesn't kill any technological innovators."

"I almost forgot you two were cousins. I don't think I've seen the two of you together since Mrs. Jenkins class in the 7th grade."

"You probably haven't. After middle school we kind of drifted apart, she started hanging out with the burnouts and I-"

"Became an overachiever?" He finished for her.

She shrugged. "Pretty much, who would have thought it would take the end of the world to bring us together."

"Tragedy does that. Trust me I'd never thought I'd be spending a Saturday with Alexa Fisher but here I am."

The way he said her name stirred something in her. He had said it with contempt like she was less than him.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" She huffed, folding her arms.

He threw his hands up as he looked for words. "It's just you aren't my first choice of companion."

"Trust me you aren't mine either." She shot back. "I can think of a hundred places I'd rather be and not just because of the zombie apocalypse."

Barrett smirked at this. "Am I that insufferable?"

"You are when you act like you're better than everyone."

"In this instance I am, I built a radio to call for help. Just like you're better than everyone in some instances too. If we need someone who's ranked 2nd in the class you'll be just the person."

The argument had come out of nowhere. But it wasn't necessarily surprising, Barrett and Alexa always knew how to get under each other's skin. She didn't want it to get to her but it did, especially when her emotions were already in overdrive. One minute they would work together on a biology project and the next they'd be insulting each other's intelligence. But today, it was just too much.

"Screw you."

With that, she pushed out of the office and down the hall. She ducked into the bathroom and splashed her face with cold water and took some deep breaths.

"There's nothing wrong with being 2nd in the class. He probably hacked his way into the first spot, to begin with." She told herself looking in the mirror. "Barrett fucking McIntyre isn't going to be the reason you lose it in the middle of all of this. Get a grip."

As she looked at her reflection, she did her best to stop frowning. The day had taken its toll on her, she had bags under her eyes and her brown skin looked sallow. She jumped when a pale face popped up behind her.

"Mary, Jesus!" She said turning around. "Shit are you okay?"

If Alexa thought she looked rough Mary looked even worse. She was beyond pale and the bags under her eyes were a deep shade of purple. The harsh lights from the bathroom made her look washed out and there was a sheen on her skin.

"F-Fine." Her voice was rough. "I'm just tired, are you almost done?"

"Yeah. It's all yours." She said scrambling towards the door. "Do you want me to get your brother?"

"No!" She raised her voice but quickly softened. "He'll just worry, I'm fine."

She left the bathroom after that, freaked out by Mary's demeanor. Normally she was sweet, soft-spoken but she seemed different like she was on edge and not herself. There was a nagging feeling in the back of her mind. It was out of character but familiar. If she didn't know any better she would say Mary looked like the students who had left the school and then came back. Mary hadn't left the school though so it didn't make any sense.

"Hey, any luck with the radio?" Violet asked.

"Barrett got it working but thinks the explosion is messing with it."

"Too bad my dad isn't here, he'd know what was happening."

Alexa smiled sympathetically, thinking of her late uncle. "Yeah too bad. Where are the others?"

"Everyone's back in the office. I'm just looking for Grover."

"Oh, are you going to see if he has his game back?" She put her hand on her hip.

Her cousin flipped her hair over her shoulders. "As if. I'm going to see why he needed those supplies."

"Sure you are. You might want to tell him Mary sick, she just scared the hell out of me in the bathroom."

"Will do."

Back in the office the rest of the survivors were there as Barrett made another distress call.

"Everything is boarded up and locked." Diesel reported. "Any luck?"

"We still here ain't we?" LaShawn smacked his lips, clearly uneasy.

"You mean despite all my technical wizardry?" Barrett was still behind the desk as he spoke. "You're welcome by the way I'm trying to get us out of this."

He pointed a baseball bat him. "In the freaks get in I can still outrun you."

"Here's our tally of food." The door swung open as Natalie walked in. "I think we can last a while."

Alexa flipped through the pages and looked at the total number of cans. "And just how long is a while?"

"About two weeks, if we're careful."

The reality that they may be here for more than just a few days. She put the list down and sighed a voice behind her made everyone jump.

"We won't last that long. They know we're in here."

Mary was standing in the doorway, she was now covered in sweat and the veins under her skin were even more prominent.

"Who, the freaks? I didn't see any when I was blocking the doors."

"You have to know where to look. They're hiding in the haze. But they're coming. They're going to get it."

LaShawn tightened his grip on the bat. "Let them try."

Mary squinted at him. "You're strength won't be enough. They know where we're hiding they can sense things we don't."

"This freshman chick is seriously creeping me out."

She agreed with Zoe, Mary looked even sicker than she had in the bathroom. "Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"I'm not worried. They can't even get through the shelter doors."

She turned to Barrett and her voice was ominous. "Not yet."

He matched her intense stare. "I don't scare that easily." He gloated.

"Yes you do, you just pretend."

He swept his hand over the radio. "Did I pretend to build this?"

"They can smell fear."

Barrett stood from his seat and leaned towards her, his eyes narrowed. "And how long do you think you'll last?"

She didn't respond but swept out of the room. Everyone shared the same uneasy look long after the door swung shut.

"That girl is high as fu-"

"Funny. I was thinking the same thing. She was weird when we were taking the food inventory."

So she wasn't the only one who noticed how weird she was. "She was the same way when I ran into her in the bathroom."

"We'll need to keep an eye on Mary then."

Everyone had splintered off into different groups after that. Barrett still clearly had an attitude so the library was where she set up shop. Even with all the turmoil going on outside there was a sense of comfort. Her backpack was still sitting next to the table she had been tutoring at before the explosion. It had only been hours since then but it felt like a lifetime ago. She picked up the copy of The Catcher in the Rye left on the table and wondered if the boy she had been tutoring was okay. She wondered if anyone was okay if a chemical explosion wasn't bad enough, there were man-eating freaks running around too. She sighed as she took a seat on one of the empty couches, hoping her book would be enough to distract her. Worrying wasn't an option right now. All she could do was hope that everything worked out.

She managed to zone out for an hour or so and focus on the words in front of her. But as the fog thickened it became more difficult to concentrate so she pulled out her phone hoping for a signal. There wasn't one but she had found her charger in her backpack so she could at least listen to music. She had just put in her headphones when a tap on her shoulder made her jump. Zoe was in front of her looking distraught.

"Hey what's wrong?"

"It's Mary she's really sick and Grover's been hiding her."

She stood up now, taking out her headphones. "Sick? What do you mean sick."

"We think she's t-turned come on she's in the nurses' office."

It was a quick trip up the stairs to the nurse's office. When they rounded the corner everyone was scattered throughout the hallway, they were arguing.

"How long has he been in there?" She asked, standing next to Violet.

"Like an hour."

"If you ask me he shouldn't even come out." Zoe leaned against a locker.

"No one asked you."

"I'm just saying if she got sick from the freaks, we can get sick from her." Then Zoe shrugged. "I say we lock her up and save ourselves."

"She's right it's not safe." LaShawn was sat on the steps clearly trying to put some distance between himself and the door Mary was behind.

"What we lock her up like an animal? She's still a person." Natalie sounded disgusted. "We should help her."

Alexa ran her hand through her hair and scoffed. "She's turned we can't help her."

"She's Grover's sister Alexa. We can't just lock her up. She's a human being just like Addie, just like they all were."

"Keyword were. They were human beings but not anymore. We saw what happened to the others, they ate the coach and I won't be next." When Natalie shook her head, she continued. "Mary said it herself, the only people we can take care of is ourselves. I'm not going to die just because you want to help someone beyond saving."

Her cousin looked surprised. "She's not a threat to us even if she turns-"

"You mean when she turns?" Barrett's voice came from down the hall. "When she does she can't leave that room."

"As much as I hate to admit it, he's right," Alexa muttered, avoiding his gaze.

"But-"

Diesel pushed off from the wall and looked in the window. "You're crazy. Look at her she's a threat to all of us."

"Not to Grover."

"Grover will do anything to save her. That's his weakness."

"No it's why we should trust him, he cares about her."

Barrett gave an exasperated sigh. "That's exactly why we can't trust him."

"At least he cares about her." Noodle looked up from the guinea pig he was holding. "We should trust him."

"If he's so trustworthy why did he hide her?" Alexa asked. "Violet said he took medical supplies and wouldn't give her a reason as to why. He's been lying to us. They both have."

"Exactly what Alexa said. Why did he hide her?" Barrett looked into the room. "I have a bad feeling that we're going to find out the hard way."

They could all hear Mary groaning and gasping from behind the door. It was animalistic and sounded painful. Then Grover's voice came out quiet, full of worry and sorrow.

"Mary, come on. Just say something please." He begged. "Come on."

The eight of them shared the same facial expression. Even the ones who wanted to lock Mary up. It was a look of pity and Alexa tried not to feel bad. It was shitty what happened to Mary she was a sweet girl but they couldn't afford to make any mistakes. She was a danger to all of them all it would take was one bite to turn someone else, or worse. As Grover sounded more upset Natalie cleared her throat.

"Maybe we should let them be alone."

Down in the cafeteria cans of food were passed around. No one spoke, the weight of what to do with Mary weighed heavily on all of them. Alexa stirred her corn with a plastic fork and didn't acknowledge Barrett when he sat next to her.

"Has Grover come back down?"

"What do you think?" Zoe poked at her food.

"He knows we're pissed at him." Deisel still sounded angry.

"Rightfully so," Barrett said. "It was a stupid thing to do."

Natalie was sitting across from them and seemed offended. "It can't be easy for him."

"Like this is easy for any of us?"

"I know she's his sister but we shouldn't risk it. Zoe's right about all of this."

Zoe and Alexa shared a small smile as they agreed with each other. This seemed to shut Natalie up because she went back to her peas, looking a bit hurt. LaShawn said something about checking the doors and left the room.

"Do you want to trade?"

When she looked up Barrett was holing out a can of peaches and nodded to her food. She wordlessly slid her can over to him and took his.

"Are you okay? You seem quiet."

He seemed genuine but she wasn't in the mood. "I'm still second in the class in case you were wondering."

His smile fell a bit. "I'm sorry about that. It was uncalled for."

"Yeah, it was."

"It won't happen again." He seemed sheepish. "Are you feeling better?"

"I'm still anxious."

"Well, worrying is never useful. We're going to be fine." He sounded so sure of himself. "And we'll need to stick together if we want to survive this."

"We can't let our emotions get in the way." She agreed. "Getting under each other's skin won't solve anything. We have freaks to deal with, we can't fall apart now."

As she said this she raised her eyebrows and subtly glanced at Natalie who was still upset. They couldn't let people guilt them into helping Mary, it wasn't safe. He seemed to catch her drift because he gave a solemn nod. This wasn't a time to be emotional or sentimental it would only get them killed.

Barrett let his hand rest on her shoulder. "We're going to get through this."

* * *

It seems that Alexa and Barrett are going to be on the same side throughout everything. I really enjoyed the scene where they worked on the radio, I can't stand when smart characters act like sex doesn't exist it feels cliche. I also tried to immerse Alexa in the world a bit more you saw how she is connected to Violet. The next update will be up sooner than this one was. Until then, I hope you all enjoyed and review! Thank you.


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